3 Vikings off to under-the-radar great starts to the 2025 season

These players might not be grabbing headlines, but they deserve some love for how they're playing so far.

Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

The Vikings have gotten big-time performances from a number of players during their 2-1 start to the season. You've got the usual suspects in guys like Justin Jefferson, Brian O'Neill, and Jonathan Greenard. J.J. McCarthy and Isaiah Rodgers captured headlines in the two wins and earned conference player of the week honors. Players like Jordan Mason, Eric Wilson, and Dallas Turner have emerged and impressed.

Today, we're going to try to go a bit deeper and highlight three guys who are off to strong starts but maybe haven't gotten a ton of recognition. We'll do one in each phase of the game and take a look at what has made them effective so far.

Offense: WR Jalen Nailor

Matt Marton-Imagn Images

Nailor's numbers are not going to jump out at you. Working as the Vikings' No. 2 wide receiver in the absence of Jordan Addison, he has seven catches on 13 targets for 96 yards. That yardage total trails only Justin Jefferson on a Vikings team that ranks 30th out of 32 in total passing yards. Nailor has put up between 28 and 37 yards in all three games, with at least one reception of 17+ each week.

Because the Vikings' passing game has been so quiet overall, you have to look at the tape and the advanced metrics to get a true sense of Nailor's play. He's been consistently able to generate separation and make himself available to his quarterback within the route concept and progression.

The company Fantasy Points has a charting metric called Playing Time-Adjusted Average Separation Score (or PASS). Take it for what it's worth, but Nailor leads the entire league in that metric so far. (Jefferson isn't far below him in fourth).

Leaders in Playing Time-Adjusted Average Separation Score (PASS) through Week 3

A purely charted/film-based metric (via @FantasyPtsData) that was more predictive than YPRR over the past couple of years

- Ladd looks like a buy-low. Adams buy-high.

- Rome Odunze breakout is real pic.twitter.com/rwlcgKfZJE

— Ryan Heath (@RyanJ_Heath) September 23, 2025

"He's playing great," Kevin O'Connell said of Nailor in his weekly interview with KFAN's Paul Allen. "It hasn't necessarily shown up with huge numbers, but every time you turn on the tape, he's open. He's winning in man, he's got a great feel versus zone. He's doing a lot of things really well right now."

Nailor has clearly outplayed Adam Thielen (two catches) so far, which is notable because those are the two players competing for the WR3 job now that Jordan Addison's suspension is over. Thielen is still going to be part of the Vikings' offense, but it would be hard to argue he should be playing more than Nailor until proven otherwise.

Defense: DT Jalen Redmond

Images Courtesy of the Minnesota Vikings

It would not be an exaggeration to say that Redmond has been one of the Vikings' best, most valuable defensive players thus far. He has a sack, a forced fumble, 10 tackles, and two tackles for loss in three games. He's simply been outstanding as both a pass rusher and run defender. It's a small sample size, but Redmond has graded out better than starters Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave.

Like with Nailor, there's an advanced metric that has Redmond as one of the best players in the league at his position in 2025. The chart below shows how interior defensive linemen have fared in true pass sets, with pass rush win rate on the x-axis and pressure percentage on the y-axis. Redmond is all the way up in the top right next to three-time Pro Bowler Jeffery Simmons.

Interior DL pass rush through week 3 (excluding MNF)
- True pass sets only pic.twitter.com/6Wyw0khDwU

— Stat Acccount (@AcccountStat) September 22, 2025

Redmond has already proven to be an incredible find by the Vikings' front office. He played for the Arlington Renegades of the UFL in spring 2024 before signing with Minnesota. Redmond then showed some flashes last season and has gone to another level early this season. He had four pressures, two tackles, and a forced fumble on Sunday against the Bengals, earning an elite 89.8 PFF grade on the day.

"J-Red is a dog," Greenard said in training camp.

It's worth mentioning that Levi Drake Rodriguez — another second-year player who has become a big part of the Vikings' DT rotation — is having a phenomenal start to the season as well.

Just a nasty run defense rep by Jalen Redmond and Levi Drake Rodriguez. That's a former UFL player and a seventh-round pick from the FCS level who have cemented themselves as key rotation guys up front. pic.twitter.com/ZTCnmJuMgB

— Will Ragatz (@WillRagatz) September 22, 2025

Special teams: WR Tai Felton

Images Courtesy of the Minnesota Vikings

Felton, who the Vikings selected at the end of the third round in April, recorded his first career reception in garbage time on Sunday. He remains a ways away from seeing the field on offense in a very deep Minnesota wide receiver room. His role right now is on special teams — and the former Maryland standout has embraced that role and thrived.

Felton and safety Tavierre Thomas are the Vikings' two punt gunners. Felton plays in all four phases of returns and coverage on punts and kickoffs. Among the Vikings' top 10 players in special teams snaps, his grade trails only Eric Wilson and Jay Ward. He's made four tackles on teams, including three in Chicago and an impressive one on kickoff coverage against the Bengals.

"I love how he's attacked it," O'Connell said of Felton on Wednesday. "He's truly been one of the more dynamic players, specifically at that gunner position, in football, I think. What is that rep, in a lot of ways? I've tried to get him to look at it as he's a receiver beating press coverage. So every time he takes that rep, hopefully it's having a down-the-line impact on him playing wide receiver as well. ... I couldn't be more happy with where he's at."

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